Chain tightener and coupling



Dec, 16, 1924.

M. v. MITCHELL CHAIN TIGHTENER AND COUPLING Filed March 3Q, 1925 Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

UNITED STATES MARTIN V. MITCHELL, 0F BUTTE, MONTANA,

CHAIN TIGHTENER .AND COUPLING.

Application led March 30, 1923.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN V. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Butte, in the county of Silver Bow and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Chain Tightener and Coupling, of which the Ifollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in couplings, and more particularly to a combined tightener and adjustable coupling.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of a combined tightener and coupling which may be used for drawing together the end portions of the side chains of anti-skidding devices, such as are shown in the U. S. patent to Weed No. 781,818, granted January 81, 1905, and for securing the side chains with the cross chains drawn into position over the tire.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a coupling wherein a lever, which is used ,for drawing the ends of the side chain together, is locked in a closed position for securely holding the ends of the chain against accidental displacement or disconnection.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a combined tightener and coupler, which is simple and compact in construction, so that it may readily be disconnected from th-e side chain and carried about in a minimum space and at the same time the device can be manufactured, and placed upon the market at a very small cost.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, the combination and arrangement of parts as pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a combined tightener and coupling constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the same.

Figure 3 is a top plan View.

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a side elevation, illustrating a slightly modied form of the invention, parts of the same being broken away and illustrated in cross section.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, in which reference characters are Serial No. 628,895.

pivot head 7, said head having formed upon y its outer surface opposite to the lever a cam portion S, while that portion of the head which extends beyond the longitudinal axis of the lever 6 is provided with wall 9, at aright angle to the said axis, and having a recess 10 formed therein to provide angularly disposed shoulders, the purpose of which will be more fully set forth later.

The side of the body member 1 opposite the recess 2 is provided with a longitudinally extending groove 11, and a transverse wall 12 is extended across the groove 11 intermediate its end to form a stop shoulder. Formed at one end of the body 1 and open at its three sides is a slot 13, said slot preferably extending across the longitudinal groove .11 and forming hook portions 14, which are adapted to be engaged with a chain link, as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 1. The walls of the slot 13 are disposed in angular relation to the longitudinal axis of body 1, and inclined from the open side toward the end of the body so that the chain link engaged in the slot 13 will be securely retained in position, and such arrangement prevents accidental displacement of the chain link after the chain has been tightened.

The partition 12 is provided with a transverse opening, and movable through the opening is a locking pin 15, the outer end portion of which is adapted to abut against the shoulders formed by the recess 10, when the lever 6 is in its locked position as shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 2. In order to urge the locking pin 15 to its normally protracted position, an expansion coil spring 16 is mounted upon the pin, one end of said spring bearing against the partition 12, and the other end of the spring bearing against a cross pin 17 carried by the locking pin 15. A head 18 is formed upon the end of the pin and disposed upon the opposite side of the partition 12 from the spring 16.

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The pin 15 is securely retained against sliding movement after having been moved to its locked position by means of a finger piece 19 carried by head 18, which is adapted to be moved into a recess 2O formed in one of the side walls defined by the longitudinal groove 11. Vhen it is desired to disengage `the end of the pin 15 from the recess v10,

the finger piece 19 is moved out of recess 2l) so asto be slidable in recess 11 and by so sliding the finger piece vaway from partition 12, the outer end of the pin 15 will be re-. moved fromA the recess 10; and when moved to an unlocked position, the finger piece 19 may bel disposed within a recess 21. formed in the opposite side wall of thegroove 11 but in staggered relation to the recess 2O.`

In using my improved device for attaching or coupling the ends ofa side chain, the lever 6 will first be moved outwardly by waylofvexampleto the dottedline po-sition inLFv-,igure and the link at one end of the chainis engaged over the end of the lever. The lever is thenmoved inwardly` toward the body member 1 and the link will be drawn ontothe hook formed by recess 2, sothat after' the lever has been moved to a closedposition parallel with the body portion, the chain link will have its cross por,- tonengaged with the shoulder 9 on the head T and also with the inner sides of the ears 4 asillustrated by the dotted lines in Figurel-, When the lever 6 is moved to its lockedposition, the outer end of the pin 15 will bemoved into the recess 10 by the eX- pansionlspring 16 so as to retain the Ilever, mits lockedv position. moving toits lockedv position, however, the en d off the pin 15 will ride upon the cam face S to allowI for free movement of the lever when drawing the-chain link toward, the. When the lever 6 is arranged in its bodylocked position as shown in Figure 1, a pory tionoffthe end thereof is disposed inbutprojects beyond, a longitudinally extending groove 22, formed in body 1, which `prevents anyy lateral movement on the part of` the lever when in its locked position In drawing the two ends of the chain together, it is toghe understood that a link of one end portionof thev chain lis connected with the hook members 14 before the lever 6 is engaged with the chain link on the opposite endo'fy the chain. It is also to be understood that the tightening and coupling device may be separable from the side chain andlthat thev hook members 14 may be engaged in any link at the one end. portion of the side chaimmnot necessarily the very end link. if there is too much side chain to permit of the same ,being drawn to the desiredV tightnessby the device, when the very end link ofv the end portion of the side chain engagesthe device, then the hook members 14 may be engaged withthe next to the last When the vlever is .ln order to disconnect the ends of the chain, the linger piece 19 is moved out ofl the recess 20. and by app-lying.v pressure to the linger piece, the pin 151 may be moved from the recess 1() in the head oit the locking lever, ritter thev pin i5 has been disengaged from* the head ,et the lever, the lever. 6 may be moved outwardly away from the body and disposed in the dotted line positionas.l

shown in Figure 2, so that the eliainlink which has been mounted thereon may, bev readily removedand the entire device dis'-, connected from the ends of the chain. ln order to reta-in the locking pin 15 inanimlocked position, the finger piece 19 will` be moved late-rally into the recess 21. l'nlligure 5 I. have illustrated 4 a slightly modifiediorm el my invention wherein a transverse,- opening 23 is iiormedin one end ofthe-body, in place of slot 13, and in thistransverse opening theone endportion of the side chain is permanently connected to the endof the body instead otdetacliably connectedthereto. ln this 'form oit the invention the con structions ot the remaining p-artsrof the dei vice is Athe saine with the exception of the opening 23 which is used in place of the slot 'lf3 in the preferred form oi" the invention.

vllllhile l, have sliewn kand described apreerred and a modied embodimentof my in-L vention,v itmwillv lbe,y .obvious thatf various changes and alterationsmay be carriedout without departingiroin the spirit of thein-Y vention .or the scope of the appended claims.

1. A' device oi the class described includf ing an elongated body membei-provided with spaced ears at one end thereof forming a hook, a lever having an offset head at one end pivoted between said ears, said leveiI being normally disposed .l longitudinally oi: the body closing the hook, the head of the lever being provided with a recessand a latch carried by the ybody member ,adapted to be seated within the recess when theleyer, is inl normal, position tey retain the saine against movement. v

9,. n device ior tightening and yconnecting side chains, comprising an elongated main body adapted toi' connection at one end portion to one end oil the chain and provided with ak hoek at the other endl for the reception of a link of the opposite end of the chain, a longitudinally extending groove open to the face opposite to the mouth of said hook and a pair ot recesses in staggered luc relation in opposite Walls of Said groove, a said recesses, said latch adapted to look the lever pivotally connected. to Seid main body lever in a normal position when Said finger 10 adjacent said hook and adapted to be swung piece is in one of said recesses and to be held to a. normal closed position so as to draw 2L retracted when the linger piece is in the link of the chain into the hook and there other ol said recesses so that the lever may retain it, and a latch including a head slicl- Swing freely.

able in said groove` and provided with a linger piece aclaped to more ini'o either of MARTIN V. MITCHELL. 

